Satoru Kobayashi (Go player)

2.1. Birth and Childhood

Kobayashi Satoru was born on April 5, 1959, in 松本市_{Matsumoto City}^Japanese, Nagano Prefecture, Japan. His father, an amateur Go player with skill strong enough to challenge professionals with a two-stone handicap, began giving Satoru a strict Go education from the tender age of three. In 1966, to facilitate more intensive training for their children, the entire family relocated to Tokyo.

2.2. Family

Satoru Kobayashi is the youngest of four siblings, all of whom pursued professional Go careers. His older sister, Chizu Kobayashi, is a 5 dan professional, and his older brother, Kenji Kobayashi, is a 7 dan professional. Another brother, Takayuki Kobayashi, is a semi-professional 2 dan. Despite sharing the same surname and being disciples of the same master, Kitani Minoru, Satoru Kobayashi has no blood relation to the celebrated Go player Koichi Kobayashi, who holds the honorary triple crown. Koichi Kobayashi was an older disciple in the Kitani Dojo.

2.3. Training and Professional Entry

Upon their move to Tokyo, Satoru and his three siblings entered the renowned Kitani Dojo. His eldest sister, Chizu, had briefly been a live-in disciple (内弟子_uchideshi^Japanese) of Kitani Minoru from the age of six. Satoru himself became an uchideshi at the age of eight in 1967, though he later transitioned to a commuter disciple (通い弟子_tsukaideshi^Japanese) the following year. In addition to Kitani, Satoru also received instruction from Kaoru Iwamoto 9 dan, while his brother Takayuki studied under Tadao Tomita 8 dan of the Keiinsha.

During Satoru's time as an uchideshi around 1967, the Kitani Dojo was a vibrant hub of talent, housing already accomplished or soon-to-be prominent players such as Yoshio Ishida (later 24th Honinbo), Masao Kato (later Honorary Oza), Koichi Kobayashi (later Honorary Kisei, Meijin, Gosei), and Cho Chikun (later Honorary Meijin). An anecdote from this period highlights Satoru's competitive spirit: a junior disciple, Naruhito Shida, who was a middle school student and a kyū-level player at the time, was given a seven-stone handicap by the younger Satoru. However, Shida surpassed Satoru by entering professional Go in 1973, a year before him, which reportedly shocked Kobayashi. Following his sister Chizu's professional debut in 1972, Satoru Kobayashi formally entered the professional Go circuit in 1974.

3.1. Early Career and Achievements

From his early dan ranks, Satoru Kobayashi consistently achieved strong results. He was recognized with the Kido Award for Rookie of the Year in 1976, having achieved an impressive record of 42 wins and 10 losses as a 4 dan player. He developed friendly rivalries with peers of his generation, including Hiroshi Yamashiro, Satoshi Kataoka, and O Rissei (Wang Licheng). Kobayashi, along with Kataoka, O, Takeshi Shingaki, and his brother Kenji, formed a study group known as the "Kagurazaka Group," which fostered their competitive growth.

In 1984, Kobayashi participated in a year-long special event called "Hissatsu Uchikomi Shobu" (Deadly Handicap Match) organized by the "Igo Club" magazine. This event pitted the Kisei and Meijin titleholder, Cho Chikun, against a "Shinsengumi" (New Select Squad) comprising Yamashiro, O, and Kobayashi. Although Kobayashi initially played with a two-stone handicap, he eventually returned to even play by the end of the series. He reached 8 dan in the same year.
On December 1, 2011, Kobayashi achieved his 1,000th career win (with 507 losses and 1 jigo), becoming the 14th player in the Nihon Ki-in's history to reach this milestone. He further extended this record, achieving his 1,100th career win in 2016.

3.2. Promotion Record

Satoru Kobayashi's progression through the professional Go ranks is as follows:

• 1 dan: 1974
• 4 dan: 1976
• 8 dan: 1984
• 9 dan: 1987

3.3. Major Titles and Runners-up

Satoru Kobayashi has a distinguished record in both domestic and international Go competitions, securing multiple titles and reaching the finals of many prestigious tournaments.

3.4. Awards

Satoru Kobayashi has received numerous awards recognizing his achievements and contributions to Go:

• Kido Award:
  • Rookie of the Year: 1976
  • Fighting Spirit Award: 1983, 1990
  • Most Valuable Player: 1995
  • Most Wins: 1995 (44 wins, 13 losses), 2005 (46 wins, 16 losses)
  • Highest Winning Percentage: 1982 (31-8, .795), 1983 (35-9, .795), 1988 (24-6, .800), 1994 (34-7, .829)
  • Consecutive Wins Award: 1994 (18 consecutive wins), 2002 (17 consecutive wins)
• Hideya Award: 1995
• TV Go Program Producers Association Award: 1995
• Journalist Club Award: 2002

3.5. Playing Style

Satoru Kobayashi is known for a flexible playing style that emphasizes "thickness" (厚み_atsumi^Japanese), which refers to building strong, resilient positions rather than immediate territory. He himself describes his Go as fundamentally based on "reading" (読み_yomi^Japanese), the ability to calculate sequences of moves accurately and deeply. His style evolved over time, becoming notably sharper and more aggressive, especially after his intense seven-game title match against Cho Chikun. This evolution saw him incorporate "sharp thrusts" (鋭い踏み込み_{surudoi fumikomi}^Japanese) into his game. He is also described as having a "pincer style," characterized by attacking an opponent's stone by approaching it from two sides, often leading to complex and dynamic battles.

4.1. Suspension Incident

In late December 2000, while participating in the Chunlan Cup World Go Championship in Taiyuan, Jiangsu Province, China, Satoru Kobayashi was involved in an incident with his opponent, Ryu Shikun. The event occurred during a social gathering at a bar after their match. While gesturing with his hand, which was holding a brandy glass, the glass accidentally broke, causing a gash to Ryu Shikun's cheek and injuring Kobayashi's own hand. Although it was not a fight, the injury to Ryu Shikun prompted disciplinary action.

In January 2001, the Nihon Ki-in issued a one-year suspension to Kobayashi. In response, Kobayashi offered to retire from professional Go. However, the Nihon Ki-in decided to hold his retirement request, stating that they believed Kobayashi had sufficiently reflected on the incident and that his future contributions to the Go world would be most beneficial. Following pleas for clemency from both Chinese and Korean Go organizations, and a subsequent reconciliation between Kobayashi and Ryu Shikun, the suspension was shortened from one year to eight months. Kobayashi was permitted to resume playing in September 2001.

5.1. Marriage

In 1981, Satoru Kobayashi married actress Hiromi Murachi. They were classmates during their time at Horikoshi High School.

5.2. Hobbies and Interests

Kobayashi has been a long-term contributor to the "Go World" magazine, where he authored several instructional series, including "Female Professionals, This is Their Strength!" (2005), "Satoru's Eye, Amateur Dan Player's Eye" (2006-2007), and "Bistro Satoru: Teaching the Recipe for Joseki Selection" (2008) and "Bistro Satoru: Teaching the Basic Recipe for Attack and Defense" (2009). His notable hobby is Keirin, professional bicycle racing. He is famously quoted as saying, "Keirin is intellect, Go is physical strength," reflecting his perspective on the mental and physical demands of both pursuits.

6.1. Chairman of the Nihon Ki-in

On April 2, 2019, Satoru Kobayashi was appointed as the Chairman of the Nihon Ki-in, the primary governing body for professional Go in Japan. He succeeded Hiroaki Dan, who had resigned from the position in March of the same year. In October 2019, Kobayashi further expanded his public service by becoming a director and vice-chairman of the re-activated All Japan Go Federation, an organization dedicated to promoting Go across the country.